The Healer's Touch
by Gemini Star01
Summary: T.K. hides a strange power from the others...A power that could save a friend's life, at the cost of his own. As a new enemy rises in the DigiWorld, he is found out, and the team is in more danger than ever...I'm not dead! CH. 6 is UP!
1. The Puppy

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I dunno where I found this…But the combination of several heavy doses including hyper-violent/romantic anime, Takari fics before going to bed and several large bottles of Diet Pepsi warped my brain into creating…well, this. Hope you like, and ideas are as always greatly welcome!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have, never will.

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The Healer's Touch

Chapter 1: The Puppy

"Hey T.K.!" a voice called. "Wait up!"

T.K. turned back and grinned at what he saw. Kari was running up to him, waving happily. She was dressed in a knee-length green skirt, long-sleeved green shirt, white sailor's collar with a blue neckerchief tied under it. The Odiva High school uniform, and he mentally slapped himself before his mouth could mutter about how cute she looked. He himself was still wearing the green jacket and slacks over his white shirt, although he had removed the blue tie and unbuttoned the coat.

"Hey Kari." he grinned. "What brings you here?"

She reached his side and brandished a large white shack. Something jingled inside. "Shopping." she sighed. "Mom's got some party planned soon…and we gotta get ready…"

Then she looked up at the taller boy, smiling. "So…how 'bout you? Shouldn't you be at home now?"

"Nah…" T.K. leaned back on his hands, contemplating his own thoughts. "I was just wandering around…Enjoy the sun while it's up, you know?"

"Mummemph me mur!" mumbled T.K.'s bag.

Kari jumped and T.K. turned red, pulling his backpack around where he could unzip it. "Sorry 'bout that…" he muttered, opening it.

Patamon burst out the top, gasping for breath. "Gah! Stuffy in there!" he muttered, shaking some lint off his fur and dust from his ears as he took flight. "Hi Kari!"

"Hello, Patamon." Kari giggled, brushing a crumbled candy wrapper off the Digimon's head. Patamon landed on her shoulder and cuddled up to her cheek. For one strange reason or another, she was the only other one besides his partner that Patamon trusted enough to do that.

"I thought I told you not to come out in public." T.K. muttered sorely. "What if somebody _sees_?"

"I heard Kari's voice, so I knew it was okay." Patamon laughed, facing his partner. "Besides, do you know how hard it is to breath in there? Phew! Air holes!"

Kari laughed, stroking Patamon's ear. "Gatomon's still at home, I'm afraid." she said. "Getting in a little 'beauty sleep' as she calls it."

"That's Gatomon for ya!" Patamon giggled. "Lazy little kitty…Uh…don't tell her I said that."

T.K. and Kari both chuckled, then T.K. pulled Patamon off her shoulder. "Okay you…" he scolded. "Back into the bag, before somebody comes."

"Aw…" Patamon groaned, but allowed himself to be put back in the backpack. "Leave the flap open a bit this time, okay?"

"Fine." T.K. muttered, zipping it up two-thirds of the way. "That better?"

"Yump!" Patamon muttered, then curled up for the ride.

T.K. gave Kari a laughing grin. Sliding the bag back over his shoulder. She smiled back at him and for a moment they were silent. Then Kari nodded down the road. "Well I…better get going…"

"Allow me." T.K. spread his arm out down the street. "Shall we journey home together?"

Kari stared a moment, then smiled. "T.K…We live half a mile apart…It's out of your way."

"So?" he laughed. "We spilt off the same part. And Patamon and I don't mind an extra block or two, now do we?"

"Nomph." the bag muttered.

"Then it's settled." T.K. grinned a big grin, then gave a slight bow. "After you, my dear."

"I wouldn't think of it." Kari laughed, imitating him. "After you."

"No no, I insist." T.K. told her. "After _you_."

Kari laughed again and set off down the street, her best friend following a step behind her. They did this quite often, laughing and joking with each other, until talk turned to school work or home life and then it'd just be quiet discussions of this and that and the other.

But as they reached their split-off point, about a block from Kari's building, a pathetic whimper suddenly floated through the air. Kari stopped. "Do you hear that?" she asked quietly.

"Hear what?"

It came again, worse this time. "That!" Kari cried. "Something's hurt!"

"Yeah…" T.K. muttered, picking up the sound too. "But what?"

They listened a while longer, still unable to tell. Patamon, still stuck inside the bag, heard it better than they did and knocked up against T.K.'s back. "That way." he pointed, sticking one arm out. "Next to the road."

Kari looked and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no…" she whispered, then pulled T.K. over to the side.

A little brown puppy lay by the side of the street, crumbled over itself. It was a pretty dog, and had a small red collar around its neck, but its stomach was squashed. The poor little thing had been hit by a car, only very recently.

"Oh…poor puppy…" Kari cooed, picking it up carefully. "T.K., we've gotta take it to the vet!"

"I'm not sure that would work." T.K. muttered. "It looks pretty bad."

"But it's somebody's pet!" Kari exclaimed. "We've gotta do something…"

T.K. thought a moment and the puppy whimpered again. Then he took the animal out of Kari's arms. "Listen…" he said slowly. "There's a vet's office on the way to my place. I'll take him."

Kari stared. "T.K.…Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure." T.K. smiled. "Even it means that much to you, I'd be glad to do it. You just head on home…okay?"

"O-Okay…" Kari muttered as T.K. shooed her down the other street. "I guess…"

"Don't worry." T.K. smiled at her. "Everything'll be fine, I promise." he started back down the other street, still carrying the puppy. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Kari watched him a moment, then started having second thoughts. He was acting awfully strange…why wouldn't they have taken it together? That would be the usual answer to something like this…unless…

"He's hiding something." she muttered out loud, then, in true curiosity-killed-the-cat fashion, she tailed him.

T.K. came to a stop about a block away. Patamon stuck his arm out and unzipped the bag himself. "T.K.…what are you planning? There's no vet around here…"

T.K. cradled the dog in his arms, looking at it pitifully. Patamon's eyes widened. "Oh no…T.K., you're not! You _can't_!"

T.K. just silently closed his eyes. Patamon sighed loudly and for a moment, nothing seamed to happen…

The puppy suddenly sat up, all on his own. The wound was…gone! That dog looked absolutely perfect, happy and well. Kari couldn't believe her eyes, so she rubbed them again to make sure it was true.

The puppy looked around, then leapt up and started licking T.K.'s face excitedly and gratifyingly. "Hey now…cut it out!" T.K. laughed, holding it at arm's length from him.

A sad-looking little boy of about eight came around the corner, holding a colorful flyer in one hand. The puppy let out some excited yelps and bounded out of T.K.'s arms towards him.

The boy looked up and his face spread into a smile. "Lady!" he gasped, greeting his pet happily. "You're back! Lady!"

A young woman came out from behind the corner, after the boy. She checked the dog in surprise, then looked up at T.K. "Young man…" she whispered, approaching him. "Did you…Did you take care of my son's dog?"

T.K. looked down sheepishly. "I just…found her a little while ago…" he mutter modestly, of course not mention how he'd saved her life. Who would believe him?

Kari turned away from the sight, stunned. Did T.K. really just.…How? It was impossible! How could this happen…and even if he could, why would he hide it from her?

The mother and son had left, taking the dog with them. Patamon flew out of his hiding spot and over to T.K., who was holding his stomach. "T.K.…Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine…" T.K. muttered, none to convincingly. He picked up his bag, stumbling away like he had a bad cramp. "Come on…Let's go…"

Kari watched the pair cross the street and head for the apartment, before leaving her post and heading home, trying to wipe the impossibilities from her mind.


	2. A Friend In Need

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Wow…I showed the sketching for this idea to my friend Kaira…She thought it was great…and obviously, so do the rest of you.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Never have and never will.

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The Healer's Touch

Chapter 2: A Friend In Need

The Digital World was not at its best that week.

A mysterious new enemy was at a rise. But no one knew who or what it was, just that it was somehow controlling a whole army of Digimon, spanning all levels. It was hard just going there for a short trip, let alone trying to find out anything. And the afternoon three days after Kari's puppy was the hardest yet.

The six younger DigiDestined had, of course, gone off and made a mess of things. They were currently cornered by something that looked like a Triceramon, but it was really hard to tell.

See, the thing about these guys was that they really weren't Digimon, you could tell that. They were about twice the size of a usual monster, completely in much darker colors with a cold aura and twice the strength. Not something you'd wanna meet in a dark alley.

"Darn it!" Davis muttered under his breath. "Not a single attack had gotten through!"

"I know, I know!" Yolei cried, racking her brain. "But how the heck are we gonna beat him?!"

"We can't even risk DNA Digivolving now." Ken sighed. "We don't have the strength!"

Cody watched Ankylomon fire another one of his Tail Hammer attacks, thrusting it forward at the monster. He studied the other Digimon a moment, all flailing their best attacks. 

"We better get out of here." he whispered quietly.

The others all turned to stare. "W-What did you say, Cody?" Kari gasped.

"We should run." the young boy said, unsteady at first, but then with growing confidence. "It's obvious we can't handle this thing alone. We need to make a break for the Digiport."

"What?!" Davis exclaimed. "No way, we can't just back down from a fight like that!"

"I agree with Cody." T.K. suddenly spoke up. He'd been very quiet that day, more than usual. "It's obvious we don't stand a chance here, so we better run before someone gets hurt."

The others considered a moment, then nodded. Davis turned back to the fray. "ExVeemon!" he called. "We gotta run for it, let's get going!"

"Right!" The blue Digimon grunted. He zoomed down to pick Davis up, but was knocked out of the way. With one quick swipe all six Digimon were back in their Rookie forms, staggering to their feet.

"Come on, let's get outta here!" Yolei called, pointing the way through the trees to the Digiport. Each Digimon split off with their respective partner and ran wildly.

Triceramon narrowed his eyes. "You won't get away that easy!" he growled. "Tri Horn Attack!"

The attack struck right in the center of the group. The kids went flying and hit the ground hard. They lay there a moment, stunned, then Davis sat up, rubbing his head. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're in one piece." Yolei called, and most of the others nodded.

"I'm fine…" Wormmon buzzed. "But Ken…"

"I just…hurt my leg, that's all." the boy grimaced, showing them the wound. It was a deep cut across his ankle, bleeding hard. "But I…must've cut a tendon or something…I can't move my foot!"

"Dang it." Cody muttered under his breath again. He glanced up at the shaking trees. "Triceramon's coming closer!"

"We've gotta get outta here!" Kari gasped.

Davis was ready with a 'brilliant' plan. "T.A., gimme a hand here!" he called, grabbing Ken's arm. "We gotta get Ken back home!"

There was a silence. Nothing ever happened. "T.A., what're you doing?!" Davis insisted, looking up. "I can't do this on my own."

T.K. was looking at the wound, and after a moment a slightly determined look crossed his face. No one really noticed, they were panicking a little too much, but T.K. gently put his left hand over the wound.

A few seconds later, Ken noticed the feeling on his ankle and looked down. "T.K.…What the heck are you doing?" he gasped

The others looked over as T.K. removed his hand. The palm was smeared with red…fresh blood…but the wound was completely and totally gone.

"Huh?!" Davis gasped in surprise.

"Where…Where did the cut go?" Yolei gasped.

"Amazing…" Cody whispered.

Kari had a flash back of a few days before. The puppy…it's wound had disappeared the exact same way! Ken touched his ankle, flexing his foot in amazement. "It's…It's perfect!" he gasped. "T.K., how did you do that?"

"This is not the time…" T.K. muttered, climbing to his feet and pulling Ken up with him. "Right now, Triceramon's still getting closer, and we have to _get out of here!_"

~ * ~ * ~

The DigiDestined quickly arrived back in the computer room. Ken rolled up his pants leg and examined the place where the wound had been. "Amazing…" he whispered again. "Not even a scar…It's like it never even happened!"

"Are you sure we weren't imagining it?" Yolei asked.

"Couldn't be." Ken insisted. "I felt it, I felt the pain! It was awful, and then all of a sudden, it was gone!"

Then Cody turned around, facing T.K. He was standing unemotionally over by the side, with a strange look in his eyes, wanting to distance himself from the others. He was already packing his things in his bag.

"T.K.…" Cody said seriously. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" T.K. asked in a low growl.

"You know what!" Davis exclaimed. "That…That thing you did to Ken's leg!"

"It's remarkable." Ken noted. "That was a wound that would've kept me from walking for a couple of months! You managed to get rid of it in seconds!"

"Yeah, come on, T.K.!" Yolei urged. "Spill, what was that?"

"You know what?" T.K. whispered calmly, zipping up his bag to leave. "It's really none of your business. Come on, Patamon."

"Hang on a sec!" Kari exclaimed, trying to catch him, but he and his Digimon were already half way down the hall and not looking back.

Davis looked out past her. "What's wrong with him?"

"I dunno." Yolei shrugged. "He seams awful…touchy…"

"Hey." Kari noticed suddenly. "Is he limping?"

~ * ~ * ~

_The plane of the land, if that was what you could call it, was pure white. That's all it was, pure white light, shining, bright white. The only thing that disturbed it was dark gray smog and a lone figure._

Kari recognized him immediately. "T.K.!" she called, waving happily. "Hey, wait up!" He stopped a moment, then turned around. Kari froze, staring at him in horror.

The front of his shirt was stained crimson red blood, obviously coming from a wound under them. His left arm hung limp at his side, bleeding. The left leg…the same leg Ken had hurt that day…was twisted in the wrong direction completely and red, again, covered with blood.

"T.K.…" she whispered. "What's…What's happened to you?"

He didn't say a word, just stood there, staring. Kari took a step forward, reaching her hand out for him. "T.K.…Let me help you…" she urged. "You're hurt…please, let me help."

T.K. shook his head. That's all, just slowly shook his head. He had that look in his eyes again…That sad, distant, hopeless look…then he turned and faded away into the fog.

"T.K.…T.K.!" Kari called, chasing after him. "Wait, T.K.!"

Kari sat up in a bed of cold sweat. She gasped in the darkness a moment, then sighed with relief. "Just…a dream…"

She got up and opened the window. Cool, crisp night air blew into her face, waking her up. She looked up at the stars with a sigh. She just couldn't take her mind off of what happened that day, and the dream worried her more.

"T.K.…" she whispered sleepily. "What's the matter with you? Why won't…you tell us?"

~ * ~ * ~

T.K. currently lay, gasping for breath, under his covers. His breathing was labored, tired and harsh, and his face was flushed red as he burned under a fever.

Patamon flew over, clutching a glass of ice water. "Oh…not another relapse" he whispered, raising it to his friend's lips. "Here T.K., drink this. It'll bring your fever down."

T.K. gulped the water down thankfully. He relaxed only a bit, but his body was still in pain. He could hardly move without a spasm of pain rushing through every inch of him. Patamon took a wet cloth and pressed it against his forehead. "There there, T.K.…" he soothed. "Just make it through the night and you'll be fine. Don't worry, I'm here."

T.K. smiled just a bit, reaching up to stroke Patamon's fur. Then he reached, groaning, just under his bed and pulled out a soft, fluffy pink towel. It was something Kari had left one day, when they'd gone for a day in the digital ocean and reported back to his house for fresh cookies.

"T.K.…" Patamon landed next to him, confused. "Why do you keep that thing every time you have a relapse like this?"

T.K. took a deep breath through the cloth of the towel. "It smells…like her…" he muttered quietly. "It's like…she's right here…"

With a contented sigh, he dropped into a deep, relaxed sleep. Patamon put a paw to his friend's forehead. The fever was almost gone, the relapse had past. But the Digimon was sure this wouldn't be the last one, and things were just going to get worse…


	3. The Power of Hope

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Wow…A lot of people played the guessing game and won…Aw, now the suspense is all ruined. I'll explain the 'relapse' later.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have, never will.

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The Healer's Touch

Chapter 3: Power of Hope

When Kari and Yolei entered the computer room the next day, they were late. One look and she immediately noticed something wasn't quite right. It was Saturday, so they'd usually be all excited or nervous or pumped or _something. _

But today they looked…a little upset. When the girls walked in, Davis was standing in the corner by the window, looking for something, then occasionally hitting his head on the wall in frustration. Ken sat in a chair with his hands in his pockets, looking a bit sheepish. Cody was tapping the wall with a broom, looking a bit perturbed with himself.

Kari glanced between them, finally daring to ask. "Where's T.K.?"

Everyone stiffened, turning around just a tiny bit and looking sheepish. Yolei narrowed her eyes. _"What happened?"_

"Well…" Cody started quietly. "He showed up early, so he was here long before any of us…"

"And of course, we still wanted to know about…well, you know." Ken muttered. "Yesterday."

"So we…asked him about it." Davis shrugged.

"'Asked' him?" Kari asked.

"Well…" Davis scratched the back of his left leg with the other foot, then Ken answered for him.

"We used his plan." Ken rolled his eyes. "When we walked in, we asked him. And when he refused…"

"Davis slammed him into the wall." Cody finished.

"You _what_?!" Kari turned on Davis, who shrank back a bit.

"I just figured…"

"What kinda knuckle-brain are you, anyway?" Yolei exclaimed. "Even if you wanted to know something, you won't get anything out of him at all if you punch his lights out!"

"Where do you get off?" Kari cried. "If he doesn't want to tell us, why push it?!"

Davis raised his hands up in defense, backing away nervously. The girls both huffed and turned their backs on him. The goggle-head sighed gratefully, shifting over beside Ken. "Bit off a little more than you could chew, huh?" his friend asked, grinning.

"No kidding…" Davis gulped. "Remind me never to get those two mad again."

Cody tapped the top of his head with a pen, thinking during the next silence. Then he looked up. "You girls really aren't fooling anyone." he said quietly. "You're just as curious about it as we are."

Both girls looked at each other, then sighed. "Yeah, of course we are." Yolei sighed. "But there's got to be a better way of finding out than trying to beat it out of him."

Ken gave a mischievous grin. "There is."

The others turned to stare at their friend. Ken was typing something into the computer, coordinates for the Digiport. "I talked to Izzy the other day." he snickered. "Told him there was something up. He's got a pretty tight schedule, but he did manage to give me the address for a certain old friend of ours…"

"Gennai?" Kari guessed, and Ken nodded.

"Great!" Yolei cheered. "If anyone knows what's going on, he will!"

There was a bit of a silence. Yolei glanced out of the corner of her eye at Davis, who was standing nervously behind her. "…Well?" she demanded.

"Well what?" Davis shrugged innocently. "You waiting for me to say something?"

"Yes!" Yolei snapped.

"Well, what?"

"What you always say!" Yolei snatched up his Digivice from Davis's belt and forced it into his hand. "Open the Port!"

"Why don't you open it?" Davis complained.

"Because it doesn't feel right!" Yolei grinned, obviously enjoying the chance to be very annoying. "Let's go already!"

And with a flash, the group disappeared into the Digiport.

Patamon looked down at T.K. His ear was draped against the wall, and his friend was leaning in the same position, listening in to the conversation of the room next door. "They're on to us, T.K."

"I know, Patamon." T.K. sighed slowly. He picked his bag off the floor and started to leave.

"T.K.…" Patamon's worried voice from his head made him stop. "Why don't you want to tell them?"

T.K.'s eyes dropped down, deep in thought. "If they knew…" he muttered. "They'd never understand…They'd want to keep me back from everything, especially the fights. If any of them get hurt because of that…I'd never forgive myself."

"But they're going to find out anyway…!"

"I know…" T.K. sighed. "But…There's just nothing we can do about it now… Except stay away…"

~ * ~ * ~

"…A lake?" Davis finally asked. "Gennai's house is a lake?"

"I guess…" Ken looked around, searching for a beach house. "The coordinates Izzy gave me are…right in the middle…"

A bead of sweat dripped down the back of everyone's heads, Ken included. There was a moment of awkward silence. "Uh…now what?"

_"Come in, of course!"_ a familiar voice suddenly sounded.

The kids looked at each other, but no one had said it. Then Yolei looked out into the lake and jumped a foot. "The water!!" she exclaimed.

Before anyone could react, the water in front of them parted with a rush into two walls of water straight out of Moses. Between them were a huge set of tall white stairs, leading down to a traditional-looking Japanese house, a huge garden in the front. 

"I guess that's it, huh?" Cody muttered quietly.

"'Guess so." Kari muttered. "In we go."

They hurried down the stairs and into the house, least the water closed on them again. The open door closed securely behind them and the water closed up once it was done. Fish began to swim outside the windows. "Nice place." Davis whispered in awe.

"Thank you." the group jumped and turned to find Gennai, as young as ever, sitting by a steaming kettle. There were seven cups sitting in front of him, and a bag of some sort of powder. "I was expecting you, kids. Just making a little hot coco. Would you like some?"

The kids gratefully accepted, each taking a cup after it was prepared for them. Gennai took his as well, sitting back on his cushion, then noticed that one cup did not have an owner. 

"Well now…" he said, taking this in. "Where's T.K.? I assumed he would be coming with you."

"Actually, Gennai…" Kari sighed, setting her glass down. "That's what we came to talk to you about…"

"About T.K.?" the man asked.

"Well…yes…" Ken started it out for them. "See, lately he's developed a strange sort of…power…"

"Power?" Gennai asked.

"Yes…" Yolei glanced over at Ken, who was feeling the ankle he'd hurt in memory. "He can…It's hard to explain, but…he…"

"He can heal wounds on his own, with only a touch?" Gennai said quietly. "And afterwards he pulls away from you, keep his distance?"

The kids stared a moment, shocked. "How'd you know that, Gennai?" Kari exclaimed. "That's it, exactly!"

The man sighed. "I expected as much." he muttered, setting his up down. "That boy is so stubborn…He's never told you, I take it?"

"Told us what?" Davis insisted, leaning forward. "What's he hiding?"

Their advisor contemplated a moment, then looked up at them. "Kids…This is a very serious matter." he said quietly. "This…this power of T.K.'s is nothing to been taken lightly, especially now."

"What is it, though, Gennai?" Cody asked. "Why would he hide it from us?"

"I suppose he must have his own reasons for hiding it from you…" Gennai sighed. "You see kids, this 'healing light' as it is called in our old legends, is a physical embodiment of the Crest of Hope."

"A 'physical embodiment'?" Ken was, like the others, all confused.

"Kari…" Gennai turned to her. "Your crest also has experienced this kind of embodiment, but it was much more…active."

"My crest…?" Kari thought a moment, then it came back. "Oh! WaruMonzeamon!"

"Excuse me?" Davis asked. "War-ru-whatty-mon?"

"WaruMonzeamon…" Kari was deep in thought, reflecting that day. "While we were fighting one of the Dark Masters, Machinedramon, we were trapped in…well, a sewer. And there was this Digimon, WaruMonzeamon, forcing all these Numamon to work for him, running the city. Then somehow, this huge light started coming from my crest…but it powered up all the Digimon, not just Gatomon!"

Gennai nodded. "That was the physical embodiment of the Crest of Light." he told them. "T.K.'s power is quite the same. However, while Light's power is used as a weapon against the forces of darkness, Hope's is used only to heal."

There was a slight silence as he sipped the last of his coco from his cup. "But…as with any great power, there are consequences to pay."

"Consequences?" Yolei squeaked. "Whattya mean, 'consequences'?!"

"For any great energy, you must pay a price." Gennai explained. "It's just the law of how everything works. When using the power of the Crest of Light, the bearer, in other words, Kari, is weakened slightly by the strain. But for T.K.…"

"What?" Cody asked in a hushed whisper. "What happens to T.K.?"

Gennai thought a moment before answering. "The pain from the wound…" he whispered. "Is transferred from the body he heals into his own."

"So he…he takes the wound from the other person?" Yolei asked.

"No." Gennai shook his head. "He takes the _pain_ that the wound inflicts. The wound itself is eliminated, but the pain is given to him until which time that it would diminish."

"That's right!" Kari gasped, sitting up. "He was limping after he healed Ken's leg!"

"Of course!" Ken hit himself on the forehead. "The only reason I couldn't walk was because I'd cut a tendon! The pain would only be enough for a bad limp!"

"Indeed." Gennai nodded. "The pain of a wound is transferred, but not some of the consequences. If one of you, for example, was hit by a Digimon attack that pierced a lung, it would be painful for him to absorb it, but it wouldn't kill him. However…and this is the most serious part…it is possible to _die _from the pain of a wound, instead of the wound itself."

"Die?!" Kari squeaked, mind racing. The dream…it couldn't be…was T.K. really going to die?

"The pain diminishes as though the wound was there." Gennai assured her. "It doesn't just collect there, it disappears. But too much at once would make his vital organs freeze up, and there'd be no way for him to get any help."

A hush fell over the room as their older friend gazed amoung them. "As I said before, T.K. must have his own reasons for wanting this kept a secret. So I ask you not to broach it against his will. Treat him the same way you would as though nothing was different about him. It's the best thing for all of you."


	4. Threatened

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Sigh...I'm sorry it's taking so long, you guys. I'm on summer break now, so I can write more, but I do get a little distracted…I'm writing my own book that I plan to get published by the time I get to high school. That's a year and a half to shoot for at least 100 pages…40 down!

Please please please please please go read my story Before the Beginning. It's a kind of a 

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. But this idea is mine, so please don't use it!

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The Healer's Touch

Chapter 4: Threatened

T.K. sighed as he shuffled down the empty school hallway, hands stuffed in his pockets and bag over his shoulder. He didn't really want to go home now, but he had to. He couldn't risk the others getting into trouble over him…

"T.K.! T.K., wait!"

He stopped, stiffening. Kari came running up behind him, stopping by his side just before they exited the main hallway. She looked up at him anxiously. "You're not going home _again_, are you?"

T.K. mumbled a quiet "Mm-hm…" half to himself, turning his head slightly so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye. "I've got…stuff to do…"

"T.K.…" she put a hand on his arm. A ripple of shock ran up in and into his head, but she didn't notice. "Please…we found out everything. You don't have to hide it anymore. Please come back with us. We miss you."

He pulled his arm away from her, not roughly but nervously. She looked at him a moment, then moved around in front of him to try and look him in the eye. He gulped and turned so that he couldn't see her again, head still at one side.

"Why won't you look at me?!" she demanded, sounding hurt. "Are you scared of me or something?!"

"Kari…" He started to stutter. "I…I…"

"Are you mad at us for finding out, is that it?" she shouted. "Do you hate us, for prying into your life? T.K., we had to know! You can't just…"

"NO!" he exclaimed, suddenly turning to her. He grabbed her hands in both of his and suddenly glared into her eyes earnestly. "You've got it all wrong!"

Kari stopped, almost frightened by the look in his eyes. But suddenly he calmed, and his eyes took on a very serious, horribly sad look. "It's not…" he whispered, like he was scared, moving an inch closer to her. "It's not like that, okay?"

He never once took his eyes off her, but every second he was closer and closer. Kari stared and watched him a moment, then finally choked out a shaky response. "W-What are you doing?"

T.K. stopped, hesitated a moment, then released her hands. "It's nothing…" he sighed, turning for the door. "Nothing at all…"

Kari didn't try to stop him. She was too flustered by his actions, and by his eyes, so she just watched as he shuffled slowly away from the school.

Patamon stuck his head out of the bag to look at his friend. "She's worried about you, T.K." he just nodded. "Why'd you do that? You were so close! Why did you just stop?!"

T.K. gulped, holding everything, including tears, in. "I…can't…handle it." he whispered sadly. "She can't know…No one can know…If…If _they_ found out, she'd be in worse danger…than any of the others…"

Patamon gazed at his partner sadly. His heart hurt, watching him suffer like this. His intentions were in the right place, but he was hurting himself…Not with the pain, but by isolating himself from everyone…everything he loved. It wasn't fair, not to them, and not to himself.

__

He gently brushed against the back of the human's neck, the Digimon equivalent of a hug. "Don't worry, T.K." he whispered, but not really loud enough for his friend to hear. "I'll protect you…I promise…"

~ * ~ * ~

Kari lay awake that night, worrying. Lying face-first, eyes hidden in her pillow, she muttered to herself in the period between homework and dinner.

"That look he gave me…" she whispered, remembering the encounter with her alienated best friend. "He was…so sad…Like an abandoned puppy…He pushed me away, but…" she clenched the sheets of her bed, frustrated and determined. "He needs me."

Gatomon looked up from her place on the chair. "What'd you say, Kari?"

Kari sat up, gazing around her room. She picked up her Digivice from the desk, looking at it thoughtfully. "He needs me." she whispered again. "T.K.…He needs us all… He can't make it on his own…"

She looked down at her partner. "Come on, Gatomon. We've got something to do."

Tai came in a moment later to call his sister to dinner, but instead found only a short note scribbled on some notebook paper: _Tai, There's something I've forgot to take care of. Save me a little steak! ~Kari_

~ * ~ * ~

Gennai looked up from his book, hearing the slight beep that warned him when someone was approaching with intent of getting into his home. Checking the screen at his side, he was surprised to see Kari standing by the edge of the lake in the middle of the dark.

He opened the gates and allowed the Child of Light to enter in, closing them up behind her. "Good evening, Kari." he said, not concealing his surprise. "What brings you here?"

Kari sat down on the mat in front of the man. Gatomon, back in her champion form, sat down next to her, confused. Kari was deep in thought a moment, then leaned forward suddenly "Gennai…" she whispered, then blurted. "I want you to show me how to use _my _power!"

Gennai was taken aback, then laughed a bit. "_Your_ power, Kari?"

"Well…you know what I mean!" she sighed. "The 'Crest of Light' power you were talking about. I need to know, please!"

Gennai contemplated her, then nodded. "Ah, I see." he muttered. "Your want is not out of personal gain, but rather out of worry for your dearest friends…I suppose that's reason enough to want to learn."

Kari looked up, excited, expectant, but Gennai shook his head again. "However… It's not that easy to activate. It doesn't just wait, like Hope's does. It only appears during battle…"

Kari's excitement disappeared. "So then…it's impossible?"

Gennai sighed, silent a moment, then looked back up. "Please understand, Kari." he finally said. "The power known as Faith…that is, Light in its purest form…is only accessible during battle. It can't be used to heal or anything in the normal world, only to power up the Digimon that are fighting. Or, if concentrated hard enough, it can be fired in small blasts, but it can't be practiced. It just happens…"

Kari's head dropped, upset. Gennai put his hand on her shoulder. "I understand that you're worried about T.K." he said gently. "And you're right, it isn't healthy for him to pull away from you and the others. But this isn't the way to help him."

"Then how…?" Kari whispered, tears slowly dripping down her cheeks. "How can I help him?"

"That's something you'll have to figure out on your own." Gennai whispered, showing her out. "It won't be as hard as you think."

~ * ~ * ~

It wasn't long after that when the younger DigiDestined planned a picnic in the Digital World. It was actually a bit of bait…They figured T.K. might come along if it was something fun.

About half an hour in, the Digivices started to beep. Cody stopped his meal and picked his up. "It's T.K.!" he exclaimed, seeing the bright green dot. "He's over there!"

The others stopped, then reached for their own. "Yeah…" Ken turned, trying to get pointing the right way. "It looks like he's right over there somewhere."

Davis jumped to his feet. "He really came!" he exclaimed. "Come on, let's-"

"Hold it." Kari suddenly cut him off. Davis looked down. She was still sitting, staring quietly into her drink. "If he wants to join us, he will…eventually." she said seriously. "If he doesn't want to, we shouldn't go hunting for him. Maybe he's just here by himself…"

Davis still didn't believe it, but sat back down and continued with the picnic.

T.K. was actually watching them from a tree about twenty meters away. He was sitting on the opposite side of the trunk, leaning back on a long branch. He'd almost run when he heard Davis, but Kari's advice had eased his fear.

Patamon hovered up next to his friend's head. "Did ya hear that, T.K.?" he asked. "They want you back!"

"I heard…" T.K. muttered, a slight smile crossing his face. "But sometimes what you want isn't what's good for you."

"T.K.…" Patamon sighed, landing on his head. Nothing more was said between them, as T.K. closed his eyes, tuning everything around him out.

At least until a sudden explosion knocked them both out of the tree.

After they hit the ground, it took a moment for T.K. to regain his senses. When he did the first thing he heard or felt was Patamon tugging at his arm and crying something.

"T.K.! T.K.!" he was exclaiming. "The others! They're in trouble!!"

"Wha…? Trouble…?" T.K. was still a little off from the fall, but he could hear something that sounded like screams or groans in the background, but he wasn't quite sure…

"You boy." a cold voice suddenly drifted over, realigning his thoughts. "I know you're there. Why don't you come out and see your friends?"

Very slowly, T.K. climbed to his feet. He didn't want to come out, he wanted to run. He was terrified to see what that…thing…was doing to them…But he if he didn't go, they'd be…

He and Patamon stepped into the clearing and froze. It was a team of three Blossomon that had their friends. The Digimon were scattered around, out cold from… something… probably the same thing that had torn the picnic blanket to shreds. Two of the Blossomon held two captives each, one with Ken and Yolei, and the other with Davis and Cody. But the last one had both its vines around Kari, one squeezing her chest and the other around her neck.

"Well, well, well." a dark figure among them laughed, coming into view. "Look who's here."

T.K. stiffened. The creature was about twice as large as he was, completely hidden in a midnight black cloak. Two red eyes shown from inside the hood. "Oh, excuse me." it laughed in its cold voice. "I am Neigamon, the demon of darkness. And I suppose you're the one who contains the Healing Light, correct?"

T.K. gulped. He couldn't say a word. His throat was petrified with fear.

"Then I suppose you must be able to guess what I'm after." Neigamon chuckled, waving his hand towards the Blossomon. "So what do you say? Their lives for…Your freedom."

"No…" Kari exclaimed against the pain. "T.K.…You can't! It's too… Dangerous…"

"Quiet, you!" Neigamon swiped his hand forward. The Blossomon holding Kari tightened the vine around her throat, strangling her. Neigamon turned back, smiling darkly. "Well, boy? Would you let your friends suffer for you?"

"You big creep!" Patamon yelled angrily. "Why can't you just leave him alone? He has to go through enough without you…"

"Stop it…" T.K. whispered, throat cracking. His trembling knees gave way and he dropped to the ground. "Please…Stop it…"

"T.K.…" Patamon gulped. His partner was staring strait ahead, eyes blankly locked on Kari. He was gulping in stuttering breaths, like his body just couldn't take any more.

"Leave them alone…" he whispered, tears breaking free and rushing down his cheeks. "Please…I'll do whatever you say…Just please…Leave them out of this…"

Neigamon grinned viciously and snapped his fingers. The Blossomon vanished in puffs of black smoke, letting his friends drop half-stunned to the ground. From the smoke came several spiraling black chains that tied around T.K.'s wrists. Before anyone could react, the boy was gone and so was Neigamon.

Patamon stared a moment, then dropped to the ground and buried his eyes in his ears. Kari stumbled over to him and carefully cradled the little creature in her arms. He was sobbing hopelessly, mourning with heart-felt woes.

"T.K.…" he was sobbing. "I'm sorry…I couldn't help him…T.K.…"

"It's okay." Kari soothed down. "Don't you worry. We'll save him. We will…I promise…"


	5. The Prisoner

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Ah…I love these stories…They're just so great to write…

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, but this story is mine! Got it? Good!

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The Healer's Touch

Chapter 5: The Prisoner

"T.K.'s been…captured?!"

The younger DigiDestined nodded guiltily. They were in Tai's room, being confronted by the older DigiDestined, minus Mimi and Joe. Matt was the one who'd been yelling before.

"We…couldn't stop them…" Ken muttered quietly.

"Why just him?" Izzy suddenly wondered. "I mean, from the sound of it you were all pretty much helpless, he could've taken any of you. Why only T.K.?"

Davis blinked. "What, don't you guys…know?"

"Know what?" Tai leaned over the back of his chair.

"Oops." Yolei whispered. "I guess we never told 'em, huh?"

"Told us _what_?!" Sora demanded, slightly out of character for a moment.

The younger DigiDestined were all looking to Kari, telling her mental to explain everything. The girl sighed, then began to explain the whole story in complete detail. It took her about fifteen minutes, and when she was finally done the older ones in the room were stunned silence.

"H-Healing?" Tai whispered, sitting down hard. "T.K.…Healing powers?"

"How can…this be?" Sora whispered, shocked. "It seams so…impossible. So completely impossible…"

"I see." Izzy was the only one who managed to keep his head through the whole thing. "So this…Neigamon…Captured him to exploit this power of his. There must be some serious injuries to take care of…"

"But…But he'll be okay then, won't he?" Matt gasped, standing suddenly. "I mean, if they need him, they won't…they won't _kill_ him, will they?!"

"Obviously not." Izzy muttered. "There'd be no good in capturing him if they couldn't use these 'powers'. He'll most likely be fine…"

"'Most likely'" Matt echoed. "That means he could be…they still could."

"Don't think about that now." Sora soothed, patting him on the shoulder gently. "He'll be fine. We just have to find him…"

It wasn't much longer after that when Tai shooed everyone back out of the apartment. It was almost dinner time, they needed to be home. Izzy was going to monitor the DigiPort to try and pick up any unusual energy signals, hopefully they'd be able to home in on the base by the next morning.

When Tai came back into the room he found his sister sitting on his bed, hugging herself and sobbing. He blinked, then hurried to her side. "Hey now…" he whispered, putting his arm over her. "Don't cry. T.K.'ll be fine, don't you worry."

"That's…not…it!" she hiccupped, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "We… We didn't mention it earlier…Because Matt could get upset…"

"Mention…what?" Tai whispered, pulling her in so she could cry on his shoulder.

"T.K.…He absorbs the pain…" she sobbed. "Each wound…Adds on a little more…If he gets too much at once, he'll…Tai, he'll _die_!"

She burst into a new wave of tears, all the time sobbing out the same thing over and over as she clung to her brother. Tai gently ran his fingers through her hair, staying right there next to her until she cried herself to sleep, still lying on his lap.

He carefully tucked his sister into bed and clicked off the lights. Before he shut the door he glanced back, look at her in the darkness.

"Damn it, T.K." he muttered quietly. "If you break her heart, I swear I'll kill you."

~ * ~ * ~

T.K. groaned, struggling to see through the pain, the exhaustion and the gloom of this prison cell. His body ached from a dozen different wounds, the pain ranging from dull aches to sharp, truly painful pain that made body parts not even related to it hurt.

He'd spent a lot of rotten days and nights during his life…the day after his parent's divorce, the day Angemon and Devimon fought, the day they had to leave the Digimon behind…but this past twenty-four hours as Neigamon's prisoner was definitely the worst.

He could still hear the dark Digimon's voice, dragging him out just after his capture. Apparently, several of his most 'loyal servants' had been wounded in battle with the DigiDestined…his friends…and, although they were not live-threatening, they wound be inconvenienced for a few days without his assistance.

_"Come on, boy."_ he'd hissed down to him, standing over a Neiga-Drimojimon with a wounded foreleg. _"What are you hesitating for? Certainly your power must be able to handle creatures this big…"_

When T.K. had done nothing further, Neigamon grew slightly impatient. He drummed his long, sharp fingernails on the side of the boy's neck, leaning down to whisper in is ear. _"Well now…We certainly wouldn't want anything to happen to that sweet little girlfriend of yours, now would we?"_

Now T.K. heard his own voice, feeling his body stiffen up. _"You…You wouldn't"_

"Do it…Now…" Neigamon had hissed. _"Or I can't control what my servants will do her, or any of your other friends…"_

Those threats pushed him into heeling each of the Digimon that were brought to him. The pained racked his body, but it had faded after a few hours. Now it was rocking back, flowing through his whole body in the relapse that always occurred lately. And his throat felt like a dessert.

A small Digimon passed in front of the bars. It looked like a Gekomon, but it was larger and darker. T.K. knew it was Neigamon's false creation of a Gekomon, a Neiga-Gekomon. But even these created Digimon had their own will…

Neiga-Gekomon looked down at a groan from his left. The Master's newest and most important captive/slave, this strangely unique human boy, reached through the bars of his cell door. His eyes and face held a pitiful, helpless look in them.

"Please…" he begged in a croaking, cracking voice. "Water…I need…Water…"

Neiga-Gekomon glared down at the boy. He was only a human, but…the Master did seam to need him to heel his fellows…And he seamed too helpless to run away…

Neiga-Gekomon pushed a wooden bowl of cold water into the human's hands. T.K. pulled it back in to his cell and gulped it down thankfully, quenching his raging thirst.

"Thank you…" he whispered, pushing the empty bowl back into the corridor. "Thank you…So much…"

Neiga-Gekomon glanced at him. He really seamed…thankful…

"What's the matter with you, human?" he finally asked. "Do these exesive healings weaken your pathedic immune system?"

"It isn't that…" T.K. whispered, leaning back against the cold wall and closing his eyes. "It's just hard…To absorb so much pain…"

"You suffer pain for your healing powers?" Neiga-Gekomon couldn't hide his surprise.

"Something like that…" the boy groaned, and a slight growl came from his empty stomach.

Neiga-Gekomon watched him another long moment, then disappeared without another word. A moment later he reappeared, holding something in his hands.

"Here." he muttered, dropping the hunk of dry, slightly stale bread into the boy's cell. T.K. looked down at it in surprise. "You look pretty hungry, boy. Regain your strength or the Master will never be able to use you properly."

T.K. stared a moment, then smiled. "Thank you…" he whispered, then took a big bite of the gift.

Neiga-Gekomon walked slowly away, returning to his duty. _"That boy is more than a tool…"_ he thought to himself. _"The master treats him much too hard…"_


	6. To The Rescue

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Yea! I updated this! Are you happy? Sorry this has taken so long, but my muse has been on a Yu Yu Hakusho kick for a while now…*points to list of fics* If you like the show, I've got two up that I'm planning on continuing…

Okay…whoever the wise-guy is who gave his name as ****, I have one thing to say to you. It takes two things to write anything, whither it be fan fics or a novel: Time, and inspiration. As of late, I've had little of the first and, in some cases, less of the second. Give me a break, if I want to write a bunch of 'em at once, I'll write a bunch of 'em at once.

Speaking of which…now what?! I'm all out of ideas!! HEEEEEELP!!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. But I do_ own this story. :P Enjoy!_

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The Healer's Touch

Chapter 6: To The Rescue

"You sure this is the place?" Davis asked, looking up at the large, black fortress high on the cliffs.

"Where else could it be?" Yolei demanded. "The energy focuses here, that's where Izzy tracked it. He's gotta be in there."

"I hope so…" Kari whispered, then looked up. "Come on, let's go."

They trudged dejectedly up the steep, rocky, cliff-like hill. They all felt determined or upset by the nature of this mission, but Kari was taking it harder than any of them.

She'd hardly slept a wink the night before. She kept having dream after dream, nightmare after torturous nightmare. Sights of him lying stone-cold in some dank dungeon, or walking away from her with blood across his chest. Each time she woke screaming and crying, until Tai finally decided to sit up with her half the night, finally easing her into a nervous sleep. As a result, she was a total wreck.

And poor Patamon…he'd wound up staying at the Kamiya's apartment all night. He wouldn't say a word, wouldn't look at anybody, wouldn't even lift his ears. Kari was carrying the forlorn little creature in her arms, occasionally stroking him sweetly.

They reached the castle after about thirty minutes, then spent another twenty scanning the outside. They found a small crack, just about large enough for one person, on the left side of the wall.

Ken straightened after looking at it a moment. "It's kinda low, but maybe one person and a Digimon or two could crawl through at a time."

"But if this Digimon's as powerful as Izzy thinks it is, he'll notice us going in for sure if we take that long!" Yolei exclaimed.

"So we don't all go in." Cody had been thinking quietly this whole time, contemplating. "The way I see it…Kari, Patamon and Gatomon could fit through there pretty easily, right? So they go in, while the rest of us create a distraction by attacking straight front. The Digimon inside will be distracted with us and won't notice them until they find T.K."

"…You really think that'll work?" Davis asked.

"It better…" Yolei nodded. "It's the only plan we've got."

With as last supportive wave, the four pairs of partners disappeared back around the corner. A moment later Kari, Patamon and Gatomon heard the sounds of Digivolving, then the rush of battle.

Kari held her breath a moment as her friend's familiar attacks were joined by those of the fake Digimon. Then she turned to the little Digimon. "Okay then…let's go."

The girl lay down on her stomach, sliding under the little crack as best she could. She really was lucky she was so thin, or else she'd never be able to make it through here. It was so cramped…so very cramped…

She heard Gatomon and Patamon both scramble in behind her. They were moving much easier, stopping at her feet as she slid along. It was dark in here…so dark, so cold… she'd get stuck, she just knew it! It was so cramped…so very dark…she couldn't think… couldn't move…couldn't _breathe…_

She felt air brushing against her hair, pushing it into out of her eyes. It felt strangely like…air conditioning. In a medieval castle? Definitely like the Digital World.

After few more moments of struggling, she managed to pull herself free oft the wall. After helping the two Digimon out of the hole, she found that they were standing in a small hallway just beside a down-staircase.

It didn't take in words between them, they hurried down the stairs in one breath. But at the base they slide to a stop. There were four different directions they could go in, and all of them lead down a tunnel.

"Now what?" Patamon asked, desperate to get back to his partner. He hovered above Kari's head, looking in each direction. "Which way do we go?"

"I…I…" Kari gulped, looking around. "I…don't know."

There was a moment of silence, then Gatomon stiffened, hair standing on end. "Something's coming!" she hissed, leaping in front of Kari. "That way!"

They heard footsteps approaching, splashing and squelching like they were wet and sticky. The three braced themselves as a shadow appeared, shorter than Kari but larger than either of the Digimon, black and molted-green.

It was a Gekomon…rather, one of the fake Gekomon, as it was too big to be a real Gekomon. It stopped when it saw them, eyes wide. Gatomon was about to attack, when he suddenly dropped his voice down and whispered, "Are you friends of that boy?"

"Boy?" Kari gasped. "You mean…T.K.? Do you know where he is?"

Neiga-Gekomon nodded, glancing back and forth nervously. "Follow me." he whispered, crossing in front of them to the second tunnel from the left. "You have to hurry…there isn't much time."

Patamon, Gatomon and Kari stared at each other a moment, then followed after. Neiga-Gekomon lead them down three different halls, first taking a left, then a right, then another right. On the way he grabbed a ring of keys from the wall, took another left, and stopped.

Kari's hands flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp of fear. T.K. was propped up against the wall, head dropping so low it looked like it was about to fall off. He was covered in scrapes and scratches, caused from the friction of writing against the hard stone. She couldn't tell if he was breathing.

Neiga-Gekomon used the keys to open the barred door. Letting out a soft cry, Kari dashed through and lifted T.K.'s head into her lap. "T.K.…T.K., can you hear me?" she whispered, voice sounding desperate. "Please, T.K., say something! Anything!"

Patamon flew over, glanced at his partner a minute, then put a paw to his friend's forehead. His eyes darkened. "Not another relapse…" he whispered. "Not now…"

"Relapse?" Kari gasped, looking up wildly. "What do you mean, Patamon? What's wrong with him?!"

The orange Digimon hovered over his friend, eyes filled with worry. "It's been happening more and more recently…After he absorbs a lot of pain…It sort've rebounds on him, through his whole body…like this."

T.K. gasped for breath, barely able to pull in the minimum he needed. Patamon flew to Neiga-Gekomon. "We need water, and lots of it!" he insisted.

The fake Digimon nodded. "Follow me." he said, and disappeared down the hall.

"Kari, stay here." Patamon called before vanishing after him. "It'll make him feel better!"

"What'll make him feel better?" Kari called after him, but sighed when she received no answer.

T.K. groaned suddenly, sweat popping out visibly on his forehead. Kari pulled a scarf out of her pocket and began wiping his soaking forehead, whispering sweetly. "It's okay, T.K.…We're here, and we're going to take you home…Don't worry…It'll all be okay…"

She jumped suddenly as his hands appeared, snapping upward so fast she couldn't see them. He grabbed her hand with both of his, then smiled up at her with tired, blue eyes.

"Kari…" he whispered, pulling her hand close enough that he could rub it gently on his flushed cheek. "You're here…You're really here…"

Kari stared at him wildly, but realized under her touch that his fever had begun to go down. She sighed, smiling a bit. "Yes, T.K.…I'm not going anywhere. I promise…"

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To be concluded in the next chapter. Will be up whenever I finish it.


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